film director
A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, vision. The director has a key role ...
and former
pornographic film actress
A pornographic film actor or actress, pornographic performer, adult entertainer, or porn star is a person who performs sex acts on video that is usually characterized as a pornographic film. Such videos tend to be made in a number of distinct ...
who performed under the
stage name
A stage name or professional name is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a ''nom de plume'' (pen name). Some performers ...
Veronica Hart. Described by columnist
Frank Rich
Frank Hart Rich Jr. (born June 2, 1949) is an American essayist and liberal op-ed columnist, who held various positions within ''The New York Times'' from 1980 to 2011. He has also produced television series and documentaries for HBO.
Rich is ...
as "a leading porn star of the late '70s and early '80s", Hart is a member of the
AVN Hall of Fame
The ''AVN'' (''Adult Video News'') Hall of Fame has honored people for their work in the adult entertainment industry since 1995.
Director
Paul Thomas Anderson
Paul Thomas Anderson (born June 26, 1970), also known by his initials PTA, is an American filmmaker. Often described as one of the most preeminent writer-directors of his generation, List of awards and nominations received by Paul Thomas Anders ...
has called her "the
Meryl Streep
Mary Louise "Meryl" Streep (born June 22, 1949) is an American actress. Known for her versatility and adept accent work, she has been described as "the best actress of her generation". She has received numerous accolades throughout her career ...
of porn."
Early life and education
Hart was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada. She graduated from the
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada, United States. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the ...
in 1976 with a bachelor's degree in
theater arts
Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...
. After school she worked in England before returning to the United States and moving to New York City.
Career
Hart began appearing in
pornographic film
Pornographic films (pornos), erotic films, adult films, blue films, sexually explicit films, or 18+ films, are films that represent Human sexual activity, sexually WIKT:explicit, explicit subject matter in order to sexual arousal, arouse, fasci ...
s in the 1970s, becoming a major star by the 1980s. According to film scholar Chuck Kleinhans, she portrayed the "stylish 'native New Yorker type. She is best known for her performances in ''Amanda by Night'', '' Wanda Whips Wall Street'', ''Roommates'' and ''A Scent of Heather''.
Around 1984, Hart began directing segments on the Playboy TV series Electric Blue, appearing in
B-Movies
A B movie, or B film, is a type of cheap, low-budget commercial motion picture. Originally, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, this term specifically referred to films meant to be shown as the lesser-known second half of a double feature, s ...
and working as a
stripper
A stripper or exotic dancer is a person whose occupation involves performing striptease in a public adult entertainment venue such as a strip club. At times, a stripper may be hired to perform at private events.
Modern forms of stripping m ...
. Reprinted as:
After retiring from performing in pornographic films, Hart became an executive at film distributor
VCA Pictures
VCA Pictures (Video Company of America) is an American independent pornographic film production and distribution company. The company was founded by Russ Hampshire, and was formerly a major player during the 'Golden Age of Porn'. Throughout the 1 ...
.
With the sale of VCA to
Hustler Video
Hustler Booth at the Sands_Expo.html" ;"title="AVN Adult Entertainment Expo at the Sands Expo">Sands Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada on January 7, 2010.
Hustler Video is an American independent pornographic film studio. It is owned by Larry ...
in 2003, and the direction of the company moving from feature, storyline-driven films to
gonzo
Gonzo may refer to:
People
* Gonzo (nickname), a list of people with the nickname
* Radislav Jovanov Gonzo (born 1964), Croatian music video director Radislav Jovanov, also known as Gonzo
* Matthias Röhr (born 1962), German musician whose stage ...
, she left the company when her existing contract expired. Afterwards, Hart moved on to other work, including working as a tour guide at the
Erotic Heritage Museum
The Erotic Heritage Museum (EHM) is a space with dedicated to the history of erotica, located in Las Vegas. The grand patron of the museum is Harry Mohney, founder of Déjà Vu
''Déjà vu'' ( , ; "already seen") is the phenomenon of feeling ...
in Las Vegas.
Hart has acted in off-Broadway theater productions such as ''
The House of Bernarda Alba
''The House of Bernarda Alba'' () is a play (theatre), play by the Spain, Spanish dramatist Federico García Lorca. Commentators have often grouped it with ''Blood Wedding (play), Blood Wedding'' and ''Yerma'' as the Rural Trilogy. García Lorc ...
Boogie Nights
''Boogie Nights'' is a 1997 American drama film written, directed, and co-produced by Paul Thomas Anderson. It is set in Los Angeles's San Fernando Valley and focuses on a young nightclub dishwasher who becomes a popular star of pornographic ...
'' (1997), directed by Paul Thomas Anderson.
As of 2014 Hart had become a
sex educator
Sex education, also known as sexual education, sexuality education or sex ed, is the instruction of issues relating to human sexuality, including human sexual anatomy, Human sexual activity, sexual activity, sexual reproduction, safe sex, birth ...
in China. An article in ''AVN'' magazine stated that she has been instructing women through an arrangement with a chain of adult retail stores and clubs called Sediva Maison.
Personal life
Hart has two sons who attended
magnet schools
In education in the United States, the U.S. education system, magnet schools are State school, public schools with Specialized school, specialized Course (education), courses or Curriculum, curricula. Normally, a student will attend an elementary ...
for highly gifted students.
Selected TV appearances
*'' Six Feet Under'', Jean Louise Macarthur a.k.a. Viveca St. John - in season 1's episode "An Open Book" (2001)
* ''
Lady Chatterly's Stories
''Lady Chatterley's Stories'' is an erotic softcore TV show that aired on Showtime which ran for two seasons.
Premise
The show featured Shauna O'Brien as Lady Constance Chatterley, a land broker by day and at night a sexual psychiatrist to h ...
'', Amy (as Jane Hamilton) - in the episode "The Manuscript" (2001)
* ''
First Years
''First Years'' is an American legal drama that aired on NBC from March to April 2001. It is a remake of the British series '' This Life''. The series premiered on March 19, 2001, but was canceled after only three of the nine episodes produced ...
'', Lola - in the episode "Porn in the USA" (2001)
Awards
Wins
*1981
AFAA for Best Actress – ''Amanda by Night''
*1982
AFAA Award for Best Actress – ''Roommates''
AFAA Award for Best Supporting Actress – ''Foxtrot''
*1994
Free Speech Coalition
The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) is a non-profit industry trade group, trade association of the sex industry in the United States. Founded in 1991, it opposes the passage and enforcement of obscenity laws and many censorship laws (with the excep ...
Lifetime Achievement Award
*1996
AVN Award
The AVN Awards are List of movie awards, film awards sponsored and presented by the American trade magazine ''AVN (magazine), AVN'' (''Adult Video News'') annually to honor achievements in the global Sex industry, adult entertainment industry. ...
for Best Non-Sex Performance – ''Nylon''
*1999
XRCO Award
The XRCO Awards are given by the American X-Rated Critics Organization annually to people working in adult entertainment and it is the only adult industry awards show reserved exclusively for industry members.
Once every calendar year, XRCO m ...
for Best Video - ''Torn'' (directed and produced by Hart)
*2004
XRCO Award for Best Comedy or Parody - ''Misty Beethoven: The Musical'' (directed, edited and produced by Hart)
*
AVN Hall of Fame
The ''AVN'' (''Adult Video News'') Hall of Fame has honored people for their work in the adult entertainment industry since 1995.
*
XRCO Hall of Fame
The XRCO Hall of Fame lists well-known adult entertainment works and workers. The list is managed by X-Rated Critics Organization and inducted annually during the XRCO Awards. The first XRCO Awards were presented in Hollywood on February 14, 198 ...
Nominations
* 2001
AVN Best Director – Video for ''White Lightning''
* 2002
AVN Best Director – Film for ''Taken''
* 2003
AVN Best Director – Video for ''Crime and Passion''
* 2004
AVN Best Director – Film for ''Barbara Broadcast Too''
* 2005
AVN Best Director – Film for ''Misty Beethoven: The Musical''
* 2006
AVN Best Non-Sex Performance for ''Eternity''
* 2007
AVN Best Non-Sex Performance for ''Sex Pix''
* 2008
AVN Best Non-Sex Performance for ''Delilah''
*2009
AVN Best Non-Sex Performance for ''Roller Dollz''
Literature
* Dedicated to her, and one chapter covers Hart's early career.
* Features a chapter on Hart.